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cette. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
cette, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
cette in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
cette you have here. The definition of the word
cette will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
cette, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
French
Etymology
From Middle French ceste, from Old French ceste, from Vulgar Latin *ecce ista, feminine of *ecce iste.
The loss of internal /s/ triggered compensatory lengthening of the preceding vowel. Due to the unstressed position of this pronoun, however, the length was soon lost again, which explains the spelling without a circumflex (though the form cête was occasionally used). Compare notre and le nôtre.
Pronunciation
Determiner
cette f
- feminine singular of ce
Further reading
Latin
Pronunciation
Verb
cette
- second-person plural present active imperative of cedo
References
- “cette”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- cette in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.